When the Biological Clock Ticks, It Burns
by LadyxB
Summary: Han and Leia are happily married, but what happens when Han realizes that he may want children, after he and Leia decided not to go down that path? Inspired slightly by themes in Tatooine Ghost.
1. Chapter 1

Han sat in the cockpit of the Falcon, contemplative and slightly anxious. Having just landed his beloved ship, he could hear his co-pilot and best mate lumbering around somewhere in the back of the ship. They were home.

Home. It was still a matter Han could not quite wrap his head around. In the past, his and Chewie's version of home consisted of this ship and any planet they could land on for a few hours. He had no real responsibilities, no true ties to anyone.

But those were now memories of the past. Now he had a home, owned an actual thing that someone could call a 'house' with a wife who he would do anything for. The only time he ever got away was when he ran a mission every now and then for the Alliance or when he was fortunate to get away on vacation with his wife. But for all intents and purposes, Han Solo was domesticated.

The scariest part about it was he wasn't even scared. Every time he touched back down on this land he felt relieved. Happy to be home, and anxious to get home to her.

He and Chewie had only been gone a week. Sent on a mission that needed a fast ship that only he could provide. The time had been brief, and the mission simple, just a few tests to squash a rumor of any lingering Imperial activity, and he'd be home on the weekend to lock himself and his wife away in the bedroom of their house. Or perhaps he would fly her away to some remote island where it was only the two of them.

Han was knocked out of a daydream that had just begun to get good when he heard the distant callings of his wookie friend.

"Hello? If you don't snap out of it I'm gonna lock you in the ship. Chewie's grunts were laced with teasing, but Han didn't want to test him."

"Alright, alright. Calm down, would ya? I'm getting up."

"Why do you look so lost?"

"I'm just happy to be home is all. Why don't we get a move on, it's late."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you for the past five minutes."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go. Where are you heading?"

"My cabin. Where I sleep every night."

"You know, you could lose the tone. I'm just tryin' to make conversation."

"I think we've had enough conversation this week. Now go home, I'm tired."

"Alright, you big slug. I'm going. Thanks for coming Chewie."

Han looked up at Chewie for a moment and the silence that surrounded them was masked with mutual respect. Chewie simply patted Han gently on the shoulder before pushing him, a bit more gruffly, towards the exit.

"Goodnight cub."

"Night Chewie."

Han stepped into the cold air of the night and shivered with his lack of appropriate apparel. It had been hotter where he had spent his past week, and he hadn't thought to bring his jacket with him. But Han wasn't concerned about the cold, he had suffered much more perilous adventures. The shiver had been involuntary. Perhaps his body's way of reminding him of the several months he spent encased in carbonite.

These days he didn't even think of it. All he was focused on was getting home to his beautiful wife. He was sure she could provide him with a much more satisfying heat than any jacket could. Now he shivered with anticipation and lengthened his stride.

He was lucky that his and Leia's apartment was so close to the hangar in which he kept the Falcon. It was an easy walk. He wondered if Leia would be waiting up for him, but then remembered she wasn't expecting him until morning. He hoped that at least C-3PO would be up to make him something to eat, but then recoiled in horror that he could ever want Threepio around.

The droid annoyed him incessantly, but he had to admit, anything he could make would be much better than the ration bars and Chewie's cooking he had spent the past six days eating.

Entering the lobby of his apartment building, the warmth engulfed him, but he barely took the time to appreciate it. He nodded hello to the guard before proceeding to the lift. Standing outside the door now, he took a moment to control his excitement and padded into the apartment.

Looking around for Threepio, he realized the droid had been powered off for the night, not really surprising, so he wandered into the kitchen to make himself a sandwich. He tried to work as quietly as possible, and was even succeeding, until he dropped a can and caused a loud popping noise. The sound seemed to explode, echoing throughout the entire apartment, and suddenly a light flickered on from another room.

Han couldn't suppress the grin that made its way on his face as he watched his wife stealthily make her way towards the kitchen holding her blaster.

"Sweetheart, have I ever told you how sexy you look holding that thing locked and loaded?"

"Han?" Leia was still sleepy, even though her arm remained straight on her target.

"Yeah?" He asked her casually, trying to keep his cool from running at her and taking her into his arms.

"You're home." It was a half question, half statement, followed by a large yawn she didn't try to stifle.

"Yes, I am. If that's ok with Your Highness." He made a little half bow in jest and smirked.

Suddenly she was running towards him, blaster dropping to the table as she ran by, and in his arms.

She was warm. He smiled.

"Of course it's ok, you nerf-herder.

He tried to take in as much of her as possible. Kissing her hair and feeling his arms wrap around her he felt a great sense of relief and an overwhelming feeling of love.

He was home.

Leia broke the hug and kissed him, long and deep.

After a few moments she breathed out, "I've missed you."

It came out almost like a purr, and Han found himself moving as close to her as possible.

"Ah, sweetheart. It's only been a week. No need to miss anything really."

At this, she pulled away from him, glaring up with suddenly frosty eyes.

"You're saying you didn't miss me?"

Deciding that an argument now, even as much as it usually pleased him, was not worth it. He decided to stop teasing her.

"Of course I've missed you Leia." He emphasized her name to really prove to her how much he missed her and she smiled in submission.

Finding that it was now safe to do so, he kissed her again, this time lingering to enjoy the feeling of just being so close.

"You know, I could really show you how much I've missed you. I don't think words can really express it all that well."

She played along. "And how exactly are you looking to prove that?"

"Come here and I'll show you." Winking and smiling slyly, he pulled her towards their bedroom.

The next morning the pair went about their usual business. Showered, dressed, breakfast, and out the door for their separate days at the office. The morning routine had been marred slightly by the intermittent kissing each one of them felt compelled to do every few minutes, but soon enough they were out the door.

The only thing that had gotten Han up that morning was the promise of an even lengthier reunion later that night when the weekend would officially begin. He felt so normal actually having a weekend off in which to spend free time.

He was in such a good mood that morning that he decided to walk to work. It wasn't that far, but it did mean that he and Leia could spend added time together.

When she attempted to lead them to the garage, he pulled at her hand and walked towards the lobby door.

"Where are you going, Han?"

"Let's walk to work today, sweetheart."

"Walk? Why?"

"I don't know. It will be more fun. I guess. Just come on."

She looked at him confused, but decided to placate him this one time.

"Alright, lead the way then captain."

They spent their walk relatively quiet. Enjoying the other's company and the feel of their hands entwined together. Although it was cold, the sun was shining, and Han felt blissfully happy. Looking down towards Leia, he recognized the similar glint in her eyes and knew she felt the same.

They were incredibly lucky, and they knew it.

Across the street, a school was getting ready to start the day. Only slightly curious, Han glimpsed over to watch the hustle and bustle of kids rushing to greet their friends with frantic parents running after them with forgotten lunches or unsaid messages. Han found himself laughing a bit.

"What?" Leia looked up at him questioningly but amused. "What's so funny?"

Han seemed to come out of some trance. "Huh? Oh, nothing. I was just remembering something Chewie said this week. It was nothing. Stupid really."

"Ok then." She gave him a funny look but dropped it.

Han turned his attention back across the street. Now he saw a family walking together. Hand in hand, with a father and mother on each side of him, was a little boy with a big, bright smile on his face. The father had said something that must have been funny because the wife smiled in response, but the boy was in hysterics. They seemed so happy together.

Han couldn't help but join in on their contagious burst of laughter.

Leia looked concerned with a touch of amusement. "Seriously, what is wrong with you?"

Han stopped laughing and met her eyes. "I dunno. Just in a good mood I guess."

She continued to look at him for a few more moments before deciding that he wasn't crazy, kissed him, and continued walking.

He couldn't tell for sure, but something within Han seemed to awaken.


	2. Chapter 2

Leia sat in her office daydreaming through the mid-afternoon lull. Feeling a bit tired after last night's activities, she hadn't been able to wipe a large grin off her face all day. She was amazed at how much she had missed the former smuggler after only a week of being apart.

But the feel of his arms around her, holding her close to him so that when she laid her head down on his chest she could listen to the thump of his beating heart, it was home to her. She may still remember the loss of her beloved home planet each and every moment of her existence, but the pain lessened when they were together.

She realized how incredibly cheesy it may sound to others, but she didn't care. It was a beautiful thing to know that if all else failed, she still had one person in the galaxy she could depend on, perhaps a group of people who would always have her back, now that she thought of her brother and Chewbacca.

Leia also felt lucky that Han didn't seem completely restless now that they were permanently located on-planet. While he didn't exactly have an office job, he spent his time training and talking with recruits who were eager to hear from the seasoned pilot. That way, he could fly his ship all day and come home at night.

She couldn't tell who was more eager about the position, the students or Han himself, and she was quite pleased he had taken to such a lifestyle so easily.

Now having been married a few years, she felt confident that their life together was solid, but something still sat in the back of her mind, intruding annoyingly at odd moments.

Before marrying, the pair had briefly discussed the topic of children. Han hadn't really seemed concerned with her decision not to conceive, but more and more she noticed how her husband had started paying attention to the numerous families they saw everyday.

She herself had a difficult time trying to remember the reason she did not want to have kids whenever she would see a friend's child or parents walking with their baby somewhere.

But even though her heart cried otherwise, Leia knew she should never have children. It was the fear of what had become of her father that kept Leia up at night and convinced that being a mother was not in the cards for her. Even one of the darkest people of the galaxy in his later life had been a child once, loving and tender, but whenever she tried to imagine her father as a boy, images of the exploding Alderaan burst into her view.

Luke consistently reminded her of how Anakin Skywalker had repented in his dying moments, but Leia would only ever be able to know him as Darth Vader. The dark lord who had ripped her home planet away and everyone she loved with it, the man who had tortured her and Han, sending him away in a bitter cold casing of carbonite.

She had searched the deepest parts of her soul for forgiveness, but she had never fully been able to give it, and it was this that prevented her from expanding her family with Han.

Han had never questioned her choices for not having children. She supposed he thought maybe she would always just be too busy, concerned for the Alliance like they were her children.

Before, when she had just thought it was her who yearned to have children, she had been able to keep her pain a secret within her, misplacing it from mind. But the more she saw Han's interest, the more it began to hurt, and she knew she wouldn't, and shouldn't, keep the reasoning behind her choices secret any longer.

However pressing the issue might be, she decided to push it out of mind briefly once again, so that she could freely enjoy her lunch break with Han.

She hoped that the Falcon would be landed by now because she was hungry for something other than just food.

Making her way down to the hangar, she was happy to see the Falcon was there and empty of random admirers.

She made her way into the cockpit, smiled when she saw he was alone, and asked him, "Having a good day back at work, Han?"

"I am now that you're here, sweetheart. What's on the menu for lunch? I'm starving."

"Hmm." She kissed him. "I was thinking maybe we could order something out, that way we can spend time doing…other things…"

"I think that might just be the best idea I've ever heard."

"Is Chewie here?" She asked him as he placed tiny kisses just under her earlobe.

Han stopped what he was doing for a moment to answer her, "Nah, he went out for lunch. Why, do you miss him?"

"Well sure, of course, but I can't pretend I'm not happy to be alone right now."

"Me neither. Let's get this ordering thing out of the way so we can carry on doing much better things."

She smiled and handed the phone to him. While he placed their usual order, she looked around the cockpit of the Falcon, making sure that everything remained as it was when Han had left a week ago.

Han hung up the phone and made his way to his pilot's seat, gently pulling her down with him.

Leia wrapped her arms around him as she shifted her position in order to straddle him on his lap. Han continued his trail of kisses, but she moved her head so that their lips could meet once again. They stayed like that for awhile, before Han decided they were wearing much too many clothes and yanked his shirt off, throwing it to the floor.

He was about to do the same to hers, when they heard the familiar clanking that meant someone wanted to come into the Falcon. Han groaned into her mouth out of frustration and told her just to ignore it.

He said, "It's much too early for the food to be here, so let's just stay here and hope they go away."

She silently agreed by moving her lips up and down his neck, sucking on a particularly sensitive spot she had found a few years ago. Now Han groaned in a different sort of frustration, and Leia smiled satisfied.

However, the knocking continued after a brief interlude, this time followed by a familiar voice.

"Han? Leia? I know you two are in there!"

"Luke!" They both said together.

Leia laughed at Han's expression as he said, "I'm gonna kill him."

"Just go see what he wants. I'll stay right here."

"Hmph," was all Han could say in return as he got up from the chair.

"Han?"

"What?"

"You might want to put your shirt back on."

She continued laughing as he grumbled out of the cockpit.

A few minutes later Han returned looking even more disgruntled.

"What did Luke want?"

Han frowned as he said, "Your brother wishes to extend his invitation to his apartment for dinner this evening."

Now it was Leia's turn to frown. "Why didn't he just comm one of us?"

"He thought we'd ignore it if he didn't come in person."

"He's probably right, you know?"

"Whatever. Come here."

Han pulled her into his arms again and kissed her. She began to creep her hands up his shirt when they heard the clanking again.

"Leia, if that's Luke, I promise you you're not going to have a brother much longer."

"Oh stop it. And that's not even Luke."

"How do you know? Can you 'feel' it?"

His voice was filled with mockery, and Leia didn't miss it.

"No you nerf-brain. The steps are far too heavy to be Luke's."

"Chewie," was all Han said.

Turning away from her again, Han shouted now, "Chewie! What are you doing back so early?"

Leia smiled as she recognized the familiar grunting.

"I was hoping to nap after lunch cub. We got back late last night and I didn't get much sleep."

Han followed Chewbacca into his cabin.

"Fine, fine. Just stay in your room for a little while, I'm a little busy.

"Don't worry. I have no interest in interrupting what the pair of you plan on doing."

"Good. Oh and Chewie. Luke stopped by. We're all invited to dinner tonight."

The wookie grimaced slightly. "Will he be cooking?"

Both of them frowned remembering how poorly the Jedi cooked.

"No, I don't think so. He'll probably order out. Or at least, I hope so."

"Good."

Han nodded and went to leave, but something stopped him.

"Hey, uh, Chewie?"

"Han?"

"How's er, how's your son doing? And your wife?"

"They're both well, why?"

Han still seemed slightly distant.

"Uh, no reason really. Just curious. We haven't seen them in awhile, that's all."

Han was uncomfortable with the knowing look in Chewie's eyes.

"Maybe we should visit them soon. I'm sure they'd like that."

"Yeah, yeah. We'll do that. Enjoy your nap, fuzzball."

Han heard the wookie's guffaw as he shut the door.

Walking back towards the cockpit, he found it empty. Confused, he walked through the ship and found Leia sitting at a table with a bag of food awaiting him.

"Sorry, flyboy, but it looks like we're going to have to wait on the other things. Food's here."

Han didn't even object as he picked up a fork and began eating. His concentration now focused elsewhere.


	3. Chapter 3

A few hours and a very distracting shower later, Han and Leia were headed to Luke's for dinner. While they enjoyed their time with Luke and Chewie, Han in particular was already planning their escape for shortly after dinner.

For what seemed like the millionth time that day, Han asked, "Now, you're sure that Luke isn't cooking?"

Leia sighed slightly, "Han, I told you, I have no idea. You were the one who spoke with him."

"Can't you just use that force-thingy the two of you have?" He wiggled his eye brows at her.

She sighed again, "I truly do not think it's necessary to utilize my 'force-thingy' in such trivial matters, Han, I-"

Han cut her off, "'Trivial matters' sweetheart? Trivial matters my ass. The last time Luke cooked I was sick for a week."

"You could have just had the flu."

"Did you just have the flu? Did Chewie? Did Luke?"

"Well, I suppose that was oddly coincidental, but we do all spend a lot of time together, so yes we could have just had the flu."

"Whatever. Eat at your own risk. We should have just offered him Threepio for the night. Scratch that, we should just give him Threepio forever."

"I think you would secretly miss Threepio if he weren't around."

Han just grimaced at her.

After a few minutes of driving in silence, Leia spoke again.

"Anyways, I do think that he would order out. The real question is, why is Luke having us over for dinner? He didn't say anything to you earlier?"

Han frowned in thought. "Nope, nothing. He just asked us to come. I said 'sure,' and then he left."

"And he wasn't acting strangely? Nothing out of the ordinary?"

"Well, to be honest sweetheart, I may have been a little distracted at the moment, but I don't recall him acting any differently. Again though, you would know better than me."

"I didn't feel anything different, but it's just unusual that he would ask us so formally with such short notice."

"Hey, don't look at me. I stopped trying to figure out your brother a long time ago now."

Leia frowned but did not offer any argument.

A few minutes silence passed when Han pulled into Luke's apartment.

They held hands as they walked through the lobby.

Leia broke the silence and asked, "It may be too late now, but I assume Chewie is meeting us here."

"Oh yeah," he didn't sound convincing. "Yeah, Chewie's probably already up there."

"Mmmhmm."

They reached Luke's door and Leia reached up to knock. Rather than wait, Han pushed the door open.

"Luke? We're here."

Luke came through the doorway to the kitchen and Leia gave him an apologetic look.

"Hey! What are you doing in there? Step away from the kitchen!"

Luke smiled. "Calm down, Han. I'm not cooking. I'm just getting some stuff together. If you guys want to sit down it will be ready in a minute. Chewie's already in there."

Han and Leia walked into the dining room.

"See? I told ya he was here."

Leia didn't respond, but made her way to sit down at the table.

In the kitchen, Luke was finishing up with dinner. He had put the food in his own dishes to at least give off the impression that he had put some preparation into dinner.

While Luke tried not to involve himself uninvitingly into Han and Leia's business, he had the sense that there was some tension going on, and it didn't take a lot to figure out what it was. He had noticed more frequently how both Han and Leia have been interested in having kids. His purpose for dinner was to try and broach the topic a bit, so the two would realize how prevalent it was on their minds, and actually talk to one another about it.

It was confusing though because he knew they both wanted children, but something was obviously holding them up. He figured it was Han's lack of previous interest that was a factor, but there was also something deeper to it.

He knew that Leia still held a lot of anger and resentment towards their father, that much had always been very clear to him. However, Luke suspected that there was also much fear on Leia's part, of her birth family and what her father had become.

There was only so much Luke himself could do for the two of them. He figured that by at least identifying the issue, the two would be able to discuss it further. Once it was out in the open, he knew that if anyone would be able to convince Leia of something it was Han.

So Luke formulated a plan to have them over for dinner. He was relying on Chewie, who had a son, to bring it up, so that they could smoothly evolve the conversation.

As a Jedi, there were very few things that could make him nervous, but facing such a sensitive topic with two very stubborn people, was one of them. He took a deep breath and stepped into the dining room.

The group ate in comfortable silence, with a random comment here and there. Once they were in the living room enjoying after dinner kaffe, Luke figured now was as good a time as any to start the conversation.

Luke waited for a break in the conversation. "Chewie, I heard a news-holo the other day on Kashyyyk and I thought of you. How long has it been since you've visited?"

Chewie smiled at the change in conversation. "It has been too long since I've been there, but I'm hoping to go again soon."

"And everyone at home is ok?"

"Yes, yes they are doing well. My son is getting so big now."

They both casually looked at Han and Leia who had gone unusually quiet.

Han cleared his throat, but Leia continued to look uncomfortable.

"Well, actually Chewie, I was thinking that maybe we could go visit them real soon, like next weekend maybe?"

Leia looked up in surprise at Han's words. Usually only Chewie went so that he could have time private time with his family. Leia herself had never actually visited.

She asked him, "You're going to leave again next weekend?"

"Well, actually sweetheart, I was thinking we both could."

"Han, I think you should have asked Chewie first before bringing it up-"

Chewie interrupted, "It would be an honor to have you visit. I'm sure they would be very excited. It has been awhile since they've seen you."

Though she flushed slightly, Leia accepted.

An hour later, the night had come to an end, and Leia and Han were on their way home.

They were both quiet, and Leia startled slightly when Han broke the silence.

"Leia?"

"Yes, Han?" He looked so thoughtful, Leia reached over to gently sweep his hair out of his face.

"Do you, um, think about having children?"

She knew he had been thinking about it, but she wasn't prepared for him to actually answer the question.

But before she could answer, Han continued.

"I mean, it's not a big deal or anything, it's just that sometimes, well lately, the idea has been on my mind."

She waited to see if he would continue.

"I had never thought about it before. But I also never thought I'd get married and then I met you and suddenly it just made sense. And it's not like I'm unhappy or anything, it's just something that I've been thinking more about lately, and I didn't know if you were too."

He spoke quickly, as though trying to show her how important it was to him without trying to seem pushy.

His sheepishness was endearing and she couldn't help but kiss his cheek.

"Yes, I've thought about it."

He looked at her expectantly.

"I guess it's something that we should probably discuss further together now that your mind has changed about it. But unfortunately, I'm not sure if I'll want children. But I won't rule it out. Not until we talk about it more."

Han simply nodded.

They were silent the rest of the way. As they walked into the apartment, Leia braced herself for an awkward night and intense conversation, but it didn't come.

Instead, Han pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

Leia looked confused. "I thought you'd want to talk more?"

"That can wait till tomorrow." His voice came out in a gruff whisper.

They kissed again, and Leia couldn't help but feel a brief respite from her worries.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Sorry this update took so long! I was on vacation. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

The week passed without any more mention of the issue of children. It wasn't that Han and Leia were actively avoiding the problem, but they had both been so busy that it hadn't come up. The few moments when they were actually together were spent sleeping from their exhaustion.

Having spent so much time at work, all Han wanted to do was spend the weekend at home. He felt bad when he decided to postpone the trip to Kashyyyk, but realized that Chewie was probably happy to spend some time alone with his family, and he himself just wanted to spend some alone time with Leia.

After a long day at work, Han came home to find the apartment empty. Breaking the silence, he heaved a long sigh before turning on the TV and flopping down on the couch.

Several hours later, Han awoke to find the magazine he had been reading on the floor. All the lights he had turned on when he got home still lit up the apartment and he knew Leia was still at work.

Just as he walked into the bedroom, he heard the lock in the door turn. He watched from the doorway as Leia tried to sneak quietly through the apartment, tiptoeing her way around as she turned off all the lights, and then walked straight into Han.

"Oh!" Leia gave a startled squeal.

"Good to see you too, sweetheart. Bit late isn't it?"

Rather than answer his question, she responded with one of her own. "Why are you still up?"

"Maybe I was just worried about my wife's absence."

She rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. "You knew I was going to be late, I told you that this morning."

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. "The fact is you're always late, Leia, and it's getting annoying."

"I have work to do."

"So do I, but you do more work than you should. It'd be good for you to take a break. Maybe we should go to Kashyyyk this weekend."

"I thought we decided we were going to postpone the trip? I don't have time for any trivial excursions right now."

"Trivial? Now you're saying Chewie's family's 'trivial?'" That's real nice, Leia."

"You know that's not what I meant. Stop twisting my words. I just meant that I have no time to leave the planet for any non-business related activities."

"Why?"

"I just told you I have a lot of work to do. Do you not listen?"

"I am listening, but you're avoiding the question. Yeah, you have a lot of work to do, but why can't it wait. You know, normal people spend their weekends not working."

"We hardly count as normal, Han."

"Then maybe we should work harder on that!"

"What do you suggest we do then?"

"Not work so hard all the time."

Leia gave him another eye roll before walking past him into the bedroom.

Digging into her drawers for her night gown, Leia spoke again.

"Listen Han, it's late. Can we just continue this talk tomorrow? I want to sleep."

"Mmm." He gave a noncommittal grunt.

"What does 'mmm' mean?"

"I don't know, Princess. It's just that lately you keep putting conversations off till 'tomorrow' and then conveniently forget about them?"

She glared at him. "Excuse me?"

Han hesitated slightly, but continued. "You know what I'm talking about."

"Honestly, right now I don't. All I can think about is curling into bed and passing out."

Han followed her into the bedroom taking out his own pajamas and muttered under his breath.

"Typical."

"What was that?" Leia sounded equally annoyed and tired.

More loudly this time, Han spoke up. "I said it's typical."

Instead of answering, Leia threw a pillow at him. Han caught it and placed it back on the bed laughing slightly, but without humor.

"Alright fine," he spoke after a few seconds awkward silence. "Let's go to bed." He started to walk out of the bedroom.

Now Leia just sounded tired. "Han, where are you going?"

"To bed."

"You do realize your bed is in here?"

"Oh very clever. Yes, I realize the bed is in there, but I'm not sleeping there tonight."

"Are you seriously relegating yourself to the couch tonight?"

"While it happens to be quite comfortable for a couch, no I am not sleeping here tonight either."

"Then where are you going?"

He answered like it was the most obvious question in the world, "The Falcon."

"I thought Chewie took the Falcon."

"Luckily for me, he doesn't leave till morning."

He walked to the front door with Leia following closely behind him.

"Ok Han I get it. Can you please stop being ridiculous and just come to bed."

Deciding on a more effective tactic, she moved to try to kiss him, but he moved away.

"Nuh uh, I don't think so. Good night, Princess. I'm sure we'll 'talk' tomorrow."

With that, he left the apartment and shut the door behind him. He thought he heard Leia yell something behind him, but he refused to give in. He was far too stubborn and grouchy to go back and admit defeat. While he knew it wasn't fair to start his outburst on her right after they both had a long night, but he was frustrated and it had just came out.

By the time he had barged into the Falcon and laid down in his cabin, he was convinced that he was right, but had to take another approach with the matter.

After a few hours of drifting in and out of uneasy sleep, Han realized it was time to get a new mattress for his bed on the Falcon.


	5. Chapter 5

Leia awoke the next morning with her work clothes clinging to her with sweat after a restless sleep. Despite yearning for the morning during the early hours she spent twisting and turning and needing to talk to Han, now that the sun had arrived, she wished it would go away. She yawned and stretched, but her muscles were stiff and her body ached. Slowly, she opened one eye, then the other. Her chest heaved a loud and long sigh as the coming day's events swooped in on her mind all at once.

While her and Han shared, and even enjoyed, a number of fights during the week, they usually were never laced with such serious tones and almost always resolved itself by night's end. But the argument had been nasty, without either of them drawing out the real reason a fight had escalated, and rather than waking up in Han's arms, Leia felt very sad and very alone.

She realized now that all she would have to do to settle the fight would be to not only confront the issue of her not wanting children, but to also explain her reasons why she felt it was a bad idea. But Leia felt that, to say it out loud to him, he may not fully recognize the depths of how serious her reasoning was, and he would flick it away telling her it didn't matter.

And she feared she would listen to him.

It would be so easy to simply tell him and then have him tell her that it didn't matter, to convince her otherwise. With a pang, Leia felt that perhaps she wanted him to change her mind, but couldn't allow this to happen.

But then again, she didn't want Han thinking that her not wanting to have a child had anything to do with her feelings for him.

Leia's mind ached. She made life and death military decisions everyday that seemed easier than this. This must have stemmed from a confidence she felt in those moments, an assurance she had in herself. Here she had no confidence, largely because she was still trying to come to grips with her birth family. She was lost and truly didn't know what to do.

For the first time, in a long time, Leia wished she had work to do. It would have given her something to distract her as well as delay the moment when they would have to talk. But as she remained in bed, she realized just how big the bed was when she was alone. She felt a pang in her heart.

She missed that stupid, stubborn scoundrel.

Glimpsing at the clock, she saw that, while still early, she was pretty sure Chewie would have already flown the Falcon away. She briefly wondered if Han had gone with him, but knew that no matter how bad things got, he wouldn't take off without telling her.

Or would he?

That fight had been one of their worst.

Meanwhile, Han found himself standing on the tarmac, watching his beloved ship flying away from him. Chewie had woken him early and kicked him out before allowing him a chance to truly awaken. Han was dazed and a little confused. It took him more than a few minutes to wonder why he had been sleeping in the Falcon in the first place, then to realize that he should probably move off the tarmac and go somewhere.

Now his head hurt trying to think where to go. First things first, Han needed his morning caffeine fix. He headed to the diner closest to the dock and sat down. After taking his first sip from the steaming hot beverage, Han relaxed a bit. His mind cleared and he now felt comfortable to make coherent decisions.

He thought maybe he should go home, but wasn't altogether sure that Leia wanted him there right now. Since it was the weekend, he knew she wouldn't be at work, at least this early, and had plenty of time to think things over. And the more she thought about things, the more trouble he'd be in. He just needed to decide whether or not to get it over with or wait so long that she wouldn't know what to do with him.

Han never intended to hurt her, but his frustrations had been culminating for quite awhile. It wasn't that he was angry that she didn't want to have children, but that she got weird when he tried to talk about it. Not to mention the long hours she spent constantly working late and stressing herself out.

This was one weekend she had off in awhile and Han didn't want to ruin it anymore than he already had. That, along with an odd stench that he was pretty sure was coming off himself, got him up and heading home.

Standing at the doorway of the apartment, Han took a deep breath before entering. Quickly purveying the scene, Han didn't notice any immediate danger. He stepped in further and walked towards the kitchen. He quickly backed away again when he saw that Threepio was up and maneuvering around the kitchen.

Hesitating before walking into the bedroom, Han found that it was empty. He heard the distinct sound of the shower running and felt that, for the moment, it was safe to enter.

Standing in front of the mirror, Han laughed as he realized that he looked like he smelled. Awful.

He hadn't bothered to shower last night, hoping to wait for Leia in that regard, and hadn't been given the chance to do much of anything this morning.

When the shower stopped, Han felt like his heart did too. But only for a moment when he told himself it was crazy to be this nervous to talk to his wife. He even laughed out loud, but then remembered just how bad the fight had been.

Gods, he's in trouble.

"Han?" Leia stood in the doorway between the fresher and the bedroom. She was wrapped in one of the large fluffy towels they had purchased together a few weeks before their wedding, with another smaller towel covering her hair.

The sight had caught him in surprise, despite knowing where she was coming from, he had been too caught up in his thoughts to think of anything else. He stared at her, thinking that he had never seen anyone as beautiful.

And the look on her face- it didn't show that she was happy by any means to see him, but it wasn't angry either. Han couldn't quite place the look, but thought that it might have shown a brief moment of relief before turning into a frown. Now she looked thoughtful and he decided it was definitely time to speak.

"Uh, hiya, sweetheart!" He offered her a half smile, but was still cautious.

"You're home." It wasn't a question, and Han hadn't expected her to say it, so he didn't know how to respond.

He nodded and in an instant she was in his arms hugging every bit of him.

Now, he really was confused. He comforted her in gentle tones, reassuring her that he was in fact home.

Speaking to her as she laid her head tightly on his chest, he said, "Are you really that surprised?"

She didn't speak for a moment and it was muffled when she finally did.

He probed again, "What?"

Pulling away from him slightly, but never lifting her arms from him, she spoke more clearly.

"I guess I just didn't know how upset you were. I thought maybe you had gone with Chewie."

"First of all sweetheart, you should know by now that I wouldn't just up and leave like that without some sort of indication, and secondly, Chewie would never have let me go with him when he knows I'm only there because of some fight."

She smiled at this and reached up to place a soft kiss on his chin.

"Besides," and now he really smiled wide, "I thought you would be the one mad at me."

Leia laughed now. "Yes, well, I think we both have the right to be upset with one another. This might be the first time that you're ever right, even if it's just half right."

Han opened his mouth to retort, but the sparkle in her eyes had returned, and Leia now reached up to kiss him full on the lips.

Han was suddenly very relieved and slightly giddy that he wasn't in any trouble, that he lifted her gently off the ground in order to kiss her more deeply.

After awhile, Leia forced herself to pull away from him. It was finally time to tell him the truth.

"Han?"

"Hmm?" He wasn't concentrating on her words as he kissed his way up her throat.

"I think we should probably talk. Really talk."

Han groaned. "Now, you want to talk? Now?"

She nodded and looked away from him.

He groaned again, but complied and sat down on the bed.

Leia wasn't sure she had ever felt this nervous before, especially with Han. It was a different type of nerve that plagued her now with him. The anxiety that bubbled in her stomach no longer had to do with the dreamy way he made her feel, or when they were both reluctant to open their heart to each other.

Those times had always had positive, happy results. In this moment, she had to deny him something he, and she for that matter, wanted but couldn't have. This made her very sad, but she refused to cry. The moment her eyes brimmed with tears, he would pull her into his arms and comfort her, and she knew she would succumb and be unable to finish what she wanted to say.

So rather than join him on the bed, Leia stood in front of him. She took a deep breath and began pacing, much like she would in meetings. Catching this and Han's accusatory look, she stopped and faced him.

"Han, I know why you're upset with me."

He didn't speak, which made her more confident to continue.

"It's because I don't want to have children-"

But Han broke her off here.

"Actually, sweetheart. It's not that you don't want to have children, it's because you refuse to talk about why you don't want kids."

He had hit it right on the nose, but Leia wouldn't falter. Not now.

"Yes, I suppose that is the issue at heart."

Han broke her off again. "Leia, let's cut the crap. Stop talking to me in that formal way you do in all your meetings and work stuff. Talk to me like you normally do."

He was right of course. Leia took a deep breath before joining him on the bed. She took his hand in hers and smiled. His smiled back encouraged her to continue.

"You know what I am, or what I could be. You know where I come from and who my real family is."

Han looked back at her confused, but then his expression cleared and he knew what she was going on about.

"Leia, if you're worried that Vader would affect our family at all, just take a good long look at you and Luke."

"But it wouldn't just be me and Luke, Han. We're lucky, but you never know what could happen. Whether it's one child or many, it could happen."

"Then we'll just have to make sure it doesn't."

"What if it's something that's out of our control?"

"We handle it when it gets to that point."

"I can't take that risk, Han! Not for me, you, or that child!"

Han's voice remained calm and soothing.

"Leia, there are very few things that will ever be in our control. Sometimes we need to take a risk. Don't you think a child would be worth it?"

She couldn't say anything. Now that he was talking back at her, Leia's thoughts were jumbled and confused and she wasn't sure how to come up with an argument or what to argue.

Seeing her confusion, Han stood up, and pulled her with him, hugging her.

"Stop thinking about any of this other stuff. Don't worry about it. Because when it's me and you, we've faced a thousand difficult things, and we've always gotten out of it together."

He kissed her. Soft and deep, his mouth lingering on hers.

"Because, sweetheart, if you want children, or one or a million, or even none, it's something that we- me and you- we're gonna decide together. For maybe the first time, we're not going to allow any outside interferences in our decision, ok?"

She nodded into him.

"Besides, Leia. Think about how one of our children would be. There's no way that child turns to the dark side!"

"How do you know that?" She whispered this to him.

"Because we're both too damn stubborn, that there's no way he or she would listen to anyone else."

Leia laughed and kissed him to show him her appreciation.

But as she continued to stand in his arms, Leia still felt that fear build in her heart. Han had done exactly what she thought he would, distract her.

She was even more confused than she was before.


	6. Chapter 6

For what may have been the first time in her relationship with Han, Leia wished that the Falcon was there to occupy his time. As much as she loved her husband, it was difficult to think clearly while he followed her wherever she went. Usually she loved the attention, the random moments of affection that he only ever showed her, and his ship. She reveled in them, felt stronger from his presence, but now all she felt was confusion.

Now that Chewie had flown off with the ship for the weekend, Leia was his only target. While he was making sure to treat her especially well, rather than his usual barrage of snide comments trying to edge her on towards one of their fights, she was becoming increasingly frustrated with him.

They hadn't spoken anymore about the conversation from the night before, but she knew it was on both of their minds. He was afraid that with one wrong movement on his part, she would completely change her mind, and she knew that it hadn't really been changed in the first place.

If someone had told her years ago that Han Solo would be the one wanting to have children and she'd be the one with second thoughts, she would have laughed in their face. Never mind the implication that she would ever even think of having kids with Han Solo.

She heard Han whistling to himself from the other room. He seemed to be going through their drawers and Leia's curiosity took hold of her. Standing now, she quietly crept through the apartment in order to peek her head in the room.

Unnoticed, Leia took this brief moment of silence to observe him. He really did look happy. Content even. He was still in the light blue boxer shorts he had fallen asleep in. On weekends when they were able to stay home, Han refused to change, and refused to allow her to change, into anything that seemed appropriate for outside wear.

"Like the view, sweetheart?" Han spoke to her in his most seductive voice.

Startled that he had caught her without looking up, it took Leia a moment to respond.

"You know I always have."

He grinned but didn't speak anymore.

"What are you doing there, Han?"

He looked up at her. "Hm? Oh I'm only browsing."

"Browsing what?" But before she could finish the question, she realized which drawer he had been perusing.

"Scoundrel!"

He gave her his most innocent look, which wasn't so innocent at all. "What?"

"Why are you looking through my underwear drawer?"

"Oh, that. I'm just seeing what's available."

"Why is this necessary?"

"Don't worry about it. I do it every once in awhile just to see if there's anything new I want to try out."

He said this so matter of factly, Leia almost laughed, but she didn't want to back down just yet.

"I didn't know you liked my underwear, Han. To be honest, I'm not sure it's a side of you I want to see."

"Oh, very funny, Princess! You know what I meant."

The gaze he gave her now made her blush.

"Find anything you like?"

"As a matter of fact I did." He shut the drawer and inched closer to her.

Backing away from him, Leia tried to remain poised.

"Well, feel free to try any of them, just don't stretch them out."

"Do you know which ones I want?"

Leia felt the bed hit the back of her knees, and realizing that she had nowhere else to go, threw her arms around Han's neck and pulled him towards her.

She whispered to him, "Which ones?"

He simply reached down to kiss her and all previous thoughts vanished immediately. She felt lost in his kiss, his mouth hot on hers, she couldn't quite remember why she had been upset with him before.

Leia deepened the kiss, battling her tongue against his, while roaming her hands all over his bare chest. Just as she was reaching down to rid him of his only clothing, Han spoke.

"How about we work on making that baby now, Princess?"

It was merely a whisper. He had said it in the moment of excitement, but the second it crossed his lips, he immediately regretted it. He had gone too far.

Leia froze. Her body tensed and she felt herself shift away from Han.

Noticing this sudden coldness, Han tried to soothe her.

"I was only kidding, sweetheart. I just meant to practice. That's all. I wasn't serious."

She didn't speak. She couldn't speak.

Every single fear she had been feeling the past few weeks came back to her in that instant, and she didn't know what to think, let alone say.

"Leia...?" Han spoke her name as more of a question. He went to kiss her forehead, but she moved away from him, pushing herself off the bed and away from his arms.

"Sweetheart?" He questioned her again. His voice sounded anxious. "I, uh, I guess that conversation we had last night didn't change much, huh?"

She remained silent and still didn't look at him.

"Maybe we should talk some more about it. I know we didn't agree on anything, I just thought that we had made some headway."

Standing up to meet her, Han pulled her close to him and she rested her head on his chest.

"I didn't mean to alarm you. It was a stupid thing to say right now. I get that it's a sensitive topic."

She pulled away to look at him. "Han, I can't have this conversation right now."

He frowned. "Then when exactly are we supposed to have this conversation? It's supposed to be a mutual decision. You can't decide on your own!"

Leia dug deep and found her most diplomatic voice.

"I don't think your idea of a 'mutual decision' involves much of my say either, you know!"

"What do you mean with that?"

With every breath, she seemed to become more confident. "Last night all you did was talk and try to convince me that 'everything would work itself out.' And that's an optimistic way to think Han, but if you're wrong, it's more than our lives we have to think about. It's a great burden to have Han, and I'm not positive I'm willing to handle it."

"Then what do you suggest we do here, Leia, because we need to figure it out sooner rather than later."

"I need some time to think."

"Fine, then get thinkin.'" His voice was gruff.

"I need some time to think alone."

Now he looked offended. "Are you telling me to leave?"

"I just need time to think things through without everyone interrupting my every thought. I can't think straight with all of these distractions."

"Well I'm just sorry you think of me as a distraction. I'll try my best not to talk to you so much, Your Highness."

His voice was as scathing as the look on his face. Leia softened immediately once she had seen how much she had offended him.

"Han, I didn't mean it like that."

He stared at her for what felt like a lifetime. The look in his eyes was a mix of concern, confusion, and frustration. Any remnants of the desire and playfulness the gaze had held only moments before were long gone.

"Listen, Leia. I don't want to fight with you. Not like this. Not about this. If you need some time to think, then fine. I'll give you all the time you need. Just remember though, when it comes to the actual decision, I need to be included too."

She nodded her head.

He pulled her close once again, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head, before turning to put on some clothes.

"You're leaving now?" Leia looked fearful.

"It's probably best."

"Where will you go? The Falcon's not here."

"I'll find somewhere. Maybe go see Luke, Lando, one of the guys."

"Han, I-"

She couldn't continue because she didn't know what to say. He gave her a small smile and kissed her again and left.

Leia stood in front of the doorway for moments after he left. The silent, cold apartment seemed so lonely without him, she immediately wished she hadn't asked him to leave. She went into the bedroom, tossed on one of his warm, oversized shirts and laid down in bed.

An hour or so later, Leia awoke suddenly. Her entire body froze for the second time that day and she couldn't breathe. Everything seemed to stop. Leia had woken from the stirrings of a sensation she had never felt before. She may not have been trained as well in the force as her brother, but the feeling was unshakable.

Shivering, and lonely, Leia realized with a pang, that she was pregnant.


	7. Chapter 7

Leia was a determined woman. The next morning she woke up, showered, and cleaned the entire apartment. She kept herself so busy that she gave no thought to her realization the night before. Out of sight, out of mind.

That was until she suddenly ran out of things to clean.

This was how Leia found herself standing in front of her brother's apartment, with cleaning supplies still in hand. She knocked, waited a few seconds, then knocked again. He was being too slow to answer, so she reached out and gave his mind a force pinch. It seemed Luke was still sleeping.

Deciding that as his sister, she could come and please as she wanted, she entered the apartment and began cleaning at a fervent pace.

She was currently wiping the second round of windows when Luke made his way out of his bedroom.

"I have a cleaning droid who can do that, you know?" Luke yawned, looking sleepy.

Leia looked down at him sheepishly and got off the chair she was standing on.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up."

He offered her a smile. "It's alright. But what are you doing here so early on a weekend?"

His thought drifted off as he gave her a long, hard look and his face became serious.

"Leia-"

"I don't want to talk about it, Luke."

"I take it you're not excited. But why? Leia, I think this is-"

"Please stop."

She spoke to him harshly, but took a deep breath and now spoke to him calmly.

"I will talk about it, eventually. But right now, I just can't."

"Does Han know?"

"No."

Luke didn't know what to say and he knew that right now was not the time to push her.

"Are you hungry?"

Leia had been looking down, thoughtful. His simple question startled her.

"I-yes, actually. I never had breakfast."

He smiled at her again and led her towards the kitchen.

"Ok, I'll make you something."

"Thanks, Luke."

As he was shuffling around in the kitchen, Luke continued speaking to her.

"So where's Han?"

"He's with Lando."

She didn't offer anything more. She still seemed distant.

They didn't speak again until he placed the food down in front of her. He had barely sat down when she shoveled the food into her mouth ferociously.

"You really were hungry, huh?"

She gave him a sheepish grin and slowed down.

"I guess I didn't realize."

They finished eating in silence, and after cleaning the dishes, Leia turned to leave.

"Leia?"

"Yes?"

"I know that you don't want to talk about it. And I know I'm not really the person you need to talk about it with. But when you're ready, I'm here to listen. And for the record, I really don't believe you have to worry so much about this."

She didn't smile, but nodded at his comment in acknowledgement.

"Thanks, Luke."

Heading home, Leia knew she had to talk with Han. She just wasn't sure if she could tell him, yet. She had envisioned the moment when she would tell him she was pregnant in her head many times. In her head, they were always joyous accounts. She would falter in telling him, acting all shy, and he would allow tears to fill his eyes. She pictured the beauty in the moment so clearly, that she almost smiled to herself now.

But those were mere dreams and fantasies. Or so she thought. Leia never imagined being afraid of telling Han, never mind actually being pregnant.

More than anything, she wanted the happiness she had felt immediately after realizing she was pregnant to drain out the fear, regret, and shame that followed.

Even with the nagging fear of the future lingering, Leia couldn't help but picture Han's face when she told him she was pregnant. He would be ecstatic, and she wanted him to feel that way. She wanted to join in with his happiness, but she also needed to be realistic.

During the moments when the anguish had engulfed her the night before, Leia wondered exactly what she would do with the child. For one brief, dark moment, she had considered terminating the pregnancy, but instantly banished the thought and felt sick to her stomach for even thinking it.

No, she was definitely going to have the baby, but she didn't know how to protect him or her from the dark forces that were sure to attempt to possess it.

But knowing that she was pregnant forced Leia to realize that, no matter what, she would do what she had to for this child. And she knew Han would too. She just wished she could somehow prepare herself better.

Leia was surprised to find herself standing at the doorway of her and Han's apartment. The walk to Luke's wasn't a long one, and mixed with her buzzing thoughts, the journey had been quick.

Opening the door, she found Han pacing the living room, looking worried and a little crazy.

"Han?"

He stopped pacing and looked relieved. She smiled slightly at him, but his face turned immediately into a frown, and she knew she was in trouble. He started in on her.

"I had no idea where you were."

"I was at Luke's. He made me breakfast."

"I tried comming you, but you didn't answer."

"Oh, I'm sorry Han, I had it turned off."

He looked as though he wanted to continue, but seeing her standing there looking so tired and troubled, he decided to lay off. He sat loudly down on the couch.

"I actually found myself hoping you were at work."

She edged towards him cautiously, hoping that he had settled down.

"I even turned on Threepio, but he had no idea where you were. He got himself so caught up in a tizzy over the fact that you were missing that I actually felt kinda bad for him. I turned him off to save him from his own misery."

She smiled at this and sat down next to him, grabbing his hand.

"I'm sorry I worried you Han. It was a busy morning."

"I see that you cleaned the apartment."

"I'm surprised you noticed."

He pretended to look offended. "I notice things."

"Mmhmm."

"Well, for the most part. Sometimes."

She looked at him.

"Ok, I went looking for my shoes that are usually by the couch and didn't see them, and then I realized a lot of things had been put away."

She kissed his cheek and smiled at him.

He looked at her now, a bit tentative and shy.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"A bit. I had some time to think a little."

He looked like he wanted to continue on, but she spoke before he could.

"Are you hungry?"

He looked at her in surprise.

"What?"

"I'm sure you didn't eat at Lando's, especially this early. I can make you something."

"Oh, yeah sure."

She stood up and pulled him with her.

"I promise we can talk after."

He nodded.

She smiled again to reassure him. He still looked slightly baffled, so Leia pulled him close to her.

"I missed you last night."

Han seemed to gain some of his charm back at this.

"I bet you did. Were you cold last night?"

"Oh, was I. I missed those big, strong arms of yours."

He gave her his best cocky grin and kissed her.

"I am pretty strong."

"That you are, Flyboy." She kissed him back now, deepening it.

"You know, maybe before breakfast we should…reunite."

He wiggled his eye brows at her, but then his stomach rumbled so loudly, they both broke out laughing.

"How about after breakfast?"

"I'll hold you to it." He grinned at her again, kissed her, then allowed himself to be dragged to the kitchen.

"And then we'll talk?" He asked her, more confidently this time.

Leia nodded. "Yes, I think you'll be most interested in what I have to say.


	8. Chapter 8

Han lay in bed after spending the majority of the late morning and early afternoon "reuniting" with Leia. While she had fallen asleep almost immediately, comforted it seemed by his presence, Han remained unable to sleep.

Used to being able to jump on the Falcon and fly his thoughts away, Han had instead spent the entirety of the night pacing all around Lando's apartment until his friend had told him, in not so much kind words, to go to bed. It was moments like these when he realized how much he relied on Chewbacca, who whether or not Han asked for it, was always there to give him advice.

Han had planned on sleeping when he returned in the morning, hoping to find Leia still in their bed, but when she wasn't there, he had panicked.

While he wasn't normally someone who needed to know his wife's every step and movement, the past few days had been emotional upheaval for the both of them, and he was afraid that it had pushed her over the edge.

Now that he finally was in a position where he could peacefully rest, his mind had betrayed him and continued to race.

Looking down at the woman he loved, Han realized how truly happy he was. It was a contentment that sometimes became too mushy for the usually cynical pilot, but it was a mush he would gratefully accept if he had it for the rest of his life.

The whole baby situation had engulfed his mind, and it wasn't until he really got down to thinking about it, that he realized how unfair it must have been to Leia. The desire for a baby was something that had hit him so unexpectedly, that he couldn't imagine how much of a surprise it must have come to Leia.

After hour upon hour of analyzing and overanalyzing, Han attempted to narrow down where exactly the desire stemmed from. Was it because he felt like this was the next step from marriage? Something that had to be done because that was what was expected for them? Because he wanted something physical to come from his love with Leia? Or was it because he truly wanted a child?

All of these questions plagued Han, and he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He factored out the idea that he wanted a child only because that may have been expected of him pretty quickly because he was Han Solo, and Han Solo never did something because someone told him to do it.

He thought maybe it had more to do with wanting a family with Leia. Perhaps he'd even be content to have a puppy so long as it was something they could call "their's." But then he started thinking about how he could teach his son or daughter to pilot a ship, all of those potential trips around the galaxy, and coming home to something that was happy to see him rather than an empty apartment. Maybe he would even buy a house.

No, he definitely wanted children for the sake of having a family, but he couldn't just ignore Leia's wishes and fears as well. They were valid. Extremely valid.

Now that he really thought about the issues that might surround his children being raised as Jedis, and he didn't doubt that with Uncle Luke around there would be any lack of discussion on the matter, the more the issue pressed on his mind.

He had firsthand knowledge of people in tune with the force, and as far as Luke and Leia went, he loved them both and they were amazing people.

Their father was another story. And the more Han learned about Vader's past, the worse the situation had seemed. Anyone could turn to the dark side if it enticed them enough.

He loved Leia and he knew she would make a wonderful mother and he wanted to be a father so badly. And then it hit him. Pure and simple. He knew the solution and couldn't believe it hadn't hit him before. Now he just had to wait for Leia to wake up.

"Han?" Leia's voice called to him softly. "Han?"

He mumbled in his sleep. "Mmm."

"Han, wake up! I have to tell you something."

Although the level of her voice remained low, the tone was urgent, waking Han to full alert.

"Wha-what happened?" He sat up directly, his hair a mess and his expression confused as anything.

Leia slid off of him laughing.

"I'm sorry." She said through fits of giggles. "I didn't know you were in such a deep sleep."

Assured by her laughter, Han relaxed a bit and sat back against the pillow.

"What's so important?"

"Remember when I told you that I had something to tell you?"

"Oh, yeah. That's right. Actually, sweetheart, there's something I wanted to tell you first."

"Oh?" Leia seemed surprised by this. She had just spent the past twenty minutes trying to pump herself up into telling him and now he was changing her plan.

"Yeah," Han seemed hesitant, but gained more confidence as he went. "I thought a lot about our situation, you know the whole baby thing, and I think you're right."

Now Leia was really surprised.

"I, um, I was right? About what exactly?"

"The whole being in danger thing. Maybe not being able to protect them as fully as possible."

She couldn't say anything.

"And well, I thought, maybe that means it wouldn't be the safest bet to have children but it doesn't mean we can't have children."

"I have no idea where you're going with this Han, but-"

"Well hold on, I'll explain more. Maybe _we _can't have children, but we can still be parents."

"And how do you suggest we go about this?" Leia was confused and anxious, which was becoming increasingly frustrating.

Sensing Leia's growing frustration, Han grabbed her hands and pulled her closer.

"I think we should adopt, Leia!"

"But, Han, I-"

"No, no. Listen. It's the perfect solution. We can have children, but not worry about them being force sensitive!"

He looked so proud of himself for thinking this up that Leia didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was the perfect solution, she would give him that, were it not for her already being pregnant. She had always thought that she would be the one worrying, depending on him for being the calm source that got them through it. Now, he wasn't sure of it either and Leia didn't know what to do or say.

Leia could barely look at him. The huge smile on his face that had come from his reveal was slowly dissipating the more time that passed when she didn't say anything.

"Leia?"

She still didn't look up, apparently lost in thought.

"Leia, what's wrong? I thought you said you wanted children. That you were just afraid of what they might become?"

Her face remained stoic and Han's frustration was growing the more she remained silent.

"Was that just an excuse? Do you just not want to have children? Just, tell me, Leia!"

She looked up at him now, tears brimming her eyes, but still determined. She couldn't let this weaken her, them.

"I'm pregnant, Han."

And then all went black.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing!

In all of the ways she had fantasized about telling Han about her pregnancy, she had never anticipated that he would faint.

Leia stood above him as he lay sprawled out on the bed, his expression still one of shock. She nudged him gently at first, but as each second passed that he didn't wake up, her ministrations increased with fervor.

"Han! Han? Wake up!"

She felt for a pulse and was relieved to see that he was at least breathing.

Slapping him gently on the shoulder, Han's body reacted slightly but he still didn't wake.

Muttering under her breath, she said, "Now you're just being dramatic."

Sighing, she scooted off the bed and stood in the doorway.

"Threepio? Threepio, can you come here for a moment, please? It seems General Solo needs your assistance."

Leia waited a short moment as Han suddenly stirred.

He grumbled and punched the air, "No, no I don't! Keep him away from me."

Han scrambled up and off the bed as quickly as he could, but his legs were tangled in the sheets and he fell to the floor with a thud.

"Relax, he's not even here right now."

Han just grimaced and tried to get his bearings, rubbing his head.

"I knew that."

Leia just looked at him, waiting.

"So um, I suppose what you just told me wasn't a dream?"

"Nope."

"So you are pregnant?"

"Yep."

Leia's answers were abrupt, but more out of nerves than anything else.

"Soo, we're having a baby?"

"Yes, that's usually what pregnancy entails."

He stared at her long and hard for what seemed to Leia like forever. Han's expression was stoic, and she searched his eyes for any hint of what he was thinking.

Just as she was ready to give into all the frustrations of the week, suddenly Han was there, taking her into his arms and kissing her fiercely. She could no longer hold back the tears that had been threatening to spill the entire day and she wept openly as Han continued to kiss every bit of her that he could reach.

Leia gently reached up her hand to stop him, so that she could see his face.

"Han?" She questioned him softly, but before he could speak, she saw the big grin on his face and knew that everything was going to be alright.

"So I take it that you're happy?"

He raised his eyebrow at her and gave her his best cocky grin as he kissed her again. Longer and deeper this time.

Han laid her down on the bed, never breaking the kiss, holding her close.

Leia touched his face, running her finger across the scar on his chin, and then kissed it.

"How do you feel about all of this, sweetheart?"

She looked up into his eyes now and smiled a little.

"I'm ok I guess. I'm nervous and scared, but also really really happy and excited."

"Me too." He kissed the top of her head.

"Um, Leia."

"Yes, Han?"

"If this kid is a Jedi, uh, you're not going to let Luke, you know, get a little too excited about all that spooky crap, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just that, I know that he's really into it, but this is our kid, and I think we should raise him or her the way we want."

She smiled at this, the way his eyebrows raised in concentration, the tone of his full of attempts to stay calm, but with obvious concern.

"I promise. Our child, our way."

He nodded. "Good."

"Our child will, however, be the best damn politician we can raise."

Han had closed his eyes in contentment, but they opened immediately.

"What?"

"Oh, you know. We can raise him or her to be the future head of state. They'll always be dressed in the nicest clothing, proper manners, everything a Solo isn't."

At this point, Han could tell she was joking and relaxed a little.

"Well, I suppose we could do that if we wanted our child to be a stuffy know-it-all like you."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm just sayin' that it will probably be in its best interest to _not _do all that crap and instead spend the majority of the time in the hangar working on the Falcon."

"First of all, Flyboy, our child is not an 'it.' Secondly, he or she will not spend the entirety of the time in the hangar with all of those foul mouthed pilots, and you should probably think about child-proofing the Falcon."

"Hey! I'm one of those foul mouthed pilots!"

"Exactly."

He grinned at her, and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Admit it, princess. You got a pretty good package deal here."

"You're okay."

He frowned. "Just okay?"

"Oh, I suppose you're better than okay."

In response, he kissed her, biting her bottom lip and sucking on it hard.

"Han!"

"Sorry, sweetheart, I couldn't help myself."

Giving him a look, she turned and laid herself against him, cuddling into his arms.

"So you really think we can do this? I mean, it's not too much to handle?"

He turned her towards him again.

"Hey, it's me." He pointed his thumbs at himself. "And it's you. And we're both a little crazy, so I never expected us to have normal children in the first place."

Leia couldn't help but laugh at this. She wasn't sure of what was to come, but she knew that as long as it was her and Han together, they would figure it out.

She swatted his arm at his comment and kissed him.

"Nerfherder."


End file.
